Aspalathus kougaensis leaves

The simple, linear leaves of Aspalathus kougaensis grow stalkless and alternate in small tufts on upper stems and short side-branchlets. Each tuft mostly has a raised woody platform or stem bulge from which the leaves sprout.

The fleshy leaves are between flat and cylindrical, often straight, sometimes slightly curved. The leaf is covered in fine, short, silvery hairs visible close up but sometimes shed from old leaves. Leaf colouring may be greyish green or blue-green to deep green or dull green.

The leaf-tip is pointed, ending in a tiny protrusion or mucro, more than a hair but less than a spine. The leaves are up to 12 mm long (Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; JSTOR; iNaturalist).